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How to Rid a Hamster Cage of Odor

By Jen Davis| Updated September 26, 2017

Regularly cleaning your hamster's cage is the only effective way to keep down odors. Perform light daily cleanings and thorough weekly cleanings to create a clean and pleasant smelling environment for your hamster within your home.

Cleaning Your Hamster Cage

Remove your hamster from the cage and place him in a safe holding area, such as a smaller cage.

Remove all of your hamster's supplies from the cage including food dishes, water bottles, toys, hamster wheels.

Dump all used bedding, chewed cardboard toys and other waste into a trash bag and throw it away. Use a scraper to remove any hardened bedding, mineral deposits, feces or other substances off the sides or bottom of the cage.

Scrub the cage and all toys and supplies with an antibacterial dish soap, white vinegar or a mild bleach solution. A safe bleach solution for disinfecting animal living areas is 1 part bleach to 32 parts water. This measures out to approximately 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water. Leave the cage damp for at least 10 minutes so that the bleach has time to completely disinfect and clean the surface.

Dry the cage and all the toys, either by using a towel or allowing the items to air dry. Place all supplies back into the cage along with fresh bedding. Return your hamster to his cage and allow him to get comfortable.

Tips

Some types of cage bedding may be more aromatically appealing to you than others. Choosing a pleasant smelling bedding can help with odors.

Minimizing Normal Cage Odors

Some cage odor is normal. If you are cleaning the cage properly on a regular basis and the cage odor is still bothering you, place air fresheners near your hamster's cage. Position the cage in a well-ventilated area away from your main living space. When the weather is good, opening your windows helps to alleviate any lingering smell.

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Author

Jen Davis has been writing since 2004. She has served as a newspaper reporter and her freelance articles have appeared in magazines such as "Horses Incorporated," "The Paisley Pony" and "Alabama Living." Davis earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in journalism from Berry College in Rome, Ga.

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